ebay finds that PWCC engaged in shill bidding?

[Snapolit1]

I’ve bid 10 or more times in plenty of auctions and on ebay. Why? Could be anything from I was bored, to I didn’t want to pay $2 more than the guy below me, to I wanted to see if the top bidder set an aggressive high bid, to I had too much wine to drink and it was 2 am and it was pointless fun. Can’t always tell why anyone is doing anything.

I wise man said to me a long time ago forget about deciphering someone else’s motivations. You are almost always just guessing based on your preexisting biases.

[Republicaninmass]

Nobodys shilling buy it nows


Just saying

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Nobodys shilling buy it nows


Just saying

There's no shortage of fake buy-it-now sales on ebay.

[Aj-hman]

eBay could consider calling out known shill bidders.
If shiller bids it shows *bidder has history of shill bidding.
Any new accounts they create tag would follow.
A fair buyer beware alert from eBay.

Shill bidders and pwcc should face long term suspension from eBay. Criminals only stop behavior when it is no longer tolerated. They rarely change behavior on their own.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Aj-hman

eBay could consider calling out known shill bidders.
If shiller bids it shows *bidder has history of shill bidding.
Any new accounts they create tag would follow.
A fair buyer beware alert from eBay.

Shill bidders and pwcc should face long term suspension from eBay. Criminals only stop behavior when it is no longer tolerated. They rarely change behavior on their own.

Shill bidding is not okay. There is my disclaimer.

I know this is unpopular to say, but when I see an item on ebay, I decide what I will pay for it, and that is my limit. Whether I'm bidding against someone who, in their heart, wants to win it, or someone who doesn't, really makes not much difference. Of course I don't want a shiller bidding me up, but I'm not going to let him push me past my self imposed limit.

Now, if someone shilled me up to my max, placing a bid above mine, then cancelling that bid, then I would complain to ebay and not pay for the item on principle. That is something different than shill bidding.

I haven't seen anyone discuss the risk to the shill bidder. Don't some of these guys win stuff frequently enough to make it too risky for them? I mean, I hope that happens because it might tend to discourage the practice.

[drcy]

Originally Posted by Mark17

Shill bidding is not okay. There is my disclaimer.

I know this is unpopular to say, but when I see an item on ebay, I decide what I will pay for it, and that is my limit. Whether I'm bidding against someone who, in their heart, wants to win it, or someone who doesn't, really makes not much difference. Of course I don't want a shiller bidding me up, but I'm not going to let him push me past my self imposed limit.

Now, if someone shilled me up to my max, placing a bid above mine, then cancelling that bid, then I would complain to ebay and not pay for the item on principle. That is something different than shill bidding.

I haven't seen anyone discuss the risk to the shill bidder. Don't some of these guys win stuff frequently enough to make it too risky for them? I mean, I hope that happens because it might tend to discourage the practice.

Making shillers pay for what they win is important and preventative. In fact, in a sense that makes them real bidders. Alas, not all auctioneers make them pay.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by drcy

Making shillers pay for what they win is important and preventative. In fact, in a sense that makes them real bidders. Alas, not all auctioneers make them pay.

+1 Great comment. If shill bidders had to pay for items they win (plus BP of course) then that would make them actual bidders. So maybe the real problem is frequent non-paying winners, plus people who retract their bids often.

The most insidious shill bidders are the ones within or associated with AHs, who either know what other peoples' max bids are, or who have an arrangement with the AH, like the Mastro case. Because in those cases, the shills aren't running the risk of winning and paying; they are therefore not actual bidders.

[butchie_t]

Originally Posted by Mark17

Shill bidding is not okay. There is my disclaimer.

I know this is unpopular to say, but when I see an item on ebay, I decide what I will pay for it, and that is my limit. Whether I'm bidding against someone who, in their heart, wants to win it, or someone who doesn't, really makes not much difference. Of course I don't want a shiller bidding me up, but I'm not going to let him push me past my self imposed limit.

Now, if someone shilled me up to my max, placing a bid above mine, then cancelling that bid, then I would complain to ebay and not pay for the item on principle. That is something different than shill bidding.

I haven't seen anyone discuss the risk to the shill bidder. Don't some of these guys win stuff frequently enough to make it too risky for them? I mean, I hope that happens because it might tend to discourage the practice.

Mark, I do the exact same thing on eBay. I was informed earlier in this thread that I was an enabler. It was funny then, and still is.

I set my max and I either win it or I don’t. Either way, this method works for me. And I do not care who does what from a bidding perspective. I win it or I don’t… and the caravan moves on.